1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus and a facsimile communication method employing a function, in which a typical facsimile communication via the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is carried out, and also relates to a facsimile apparatus connected to the other computer via the computer network and a facsimile communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the facsimile apparatus, which is capable of being connected to the computer network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and functions as a facsimile server of other computers connected to the computer network in the same way, has been developed. This is a facsimile apparatus which possesses the typical facsimile transmission and reception function via the general telephone line network, and which is capable of transmitting an original (a document, for example) by a facsimile with an instruction from the other computer connected to the computer network, and sending the information received by the facsimile to the other computer via the computer network.
In the past, the facsimile apparatus was often placed within the user's daily life activity area (inside the office where the user works, for example). This was because there was a need to set the document directly on the facsimile apparatus when sending the document, and to recognize the arrival of a facsimile message as soon as possible. However, as in the facsimile apparatus connected to the computer network, the user is able to generate a transmission command from the computer at hand, and even when there is a reception of message, it is transmitted to the user's computer at hand, and therefore it is not necessary for the facsimile apparatus to be placed within the user's daily life activity area.
A conventional facsimile apparatus has a confidential reception function which temporarily stores received information, which prints a list notifying of the confidential reception, and which prints the stored information when a designated pass code is input. Among facsimile apparatuses functioning as the facsimile server as described above, there is a facsimile apparatus including a confidential reception function. This facsimile apparatus makes it possible to generate commands to notify, by electronic mail, a destination computer that there is a confidential reception of the information stored temporarily. A user who reads the notifying electronic mail commands the information to be printed, or to be transmitted to his mail box. The user is able to set up the facsimile apparatus to automatically transmit electronic mail, to perform transmission each time there is a confidential reception, to perform transmission when several messages are accumulated, and to perform transmission when the prescribed time has arrived.
In the typical facsimile communication via the general telephone line network, the privacy is protected. However, in the computer network such as a LAN, the privacy is not protected, and there is a risk for even the confidentially received information to be stolen by the third party during transmission to the destination computer through the computer network. There is also a risk that the communication message having secret information exchanged with the destination computer is stolen.